Living the Green Dream

It’s got to the point where as a motorist it’s impossible to ignore the increasing importance placed on green cars in the media. It’s even harder to ignore when out on the road, seeing the price of fuel creeping up again for the umpteenth time this year. But being a green motorist can mean different things to different people; to some it’s using as little petrol as possible, for others it’s cutting back our emissions, and for some it’s using no petrol and producing no emissions at all. So what is the best way for the average, discerning driver to be the practical and green?

For years the Toyota Prius has been the go-to hybrid car and on the face of it, the figures look pretty good: Toyota claim that the current generation Prius will do 87 mpge while running on the battery and has a CO2 emission rating of 92 g/km. Not only does that make it the most fuel-efficient car in their line-up, but it’s also the least harmful to the environment, even when compared to the tiny, 1.0 iQ. Customer satisfaction surveys seem to favour the car as well, citing the excellent mileage and ride comfort. When the car is dependent on the petrol dependant hybrid engine alone however, Toyota estimates a slightly more conservative 49mpg, about the same as you get in 1.2 TSI Golf. In fact there are many diesels on the market that offer a much better range than the Prius on its hybrid engine.

The key difference of course lies in the CO2 emissions; the Golf pumps out around 50% more grams of carbon dioxide per kilometre than the Prius, but It does come out cheaper by £4,500. For £18,860 Volkswagen also offer a ‘Bluemotion’ version of the Golf, which has been built specifically to be as fuel efficient as possible. VW do this by giving it a 1.6 litre diesel engine- the same one you get in the standard Golf, but other components like the crankshaft and alternator have been replaced so you get a better rate of consumption. It’s not just internally that they’ve made changes either: to the untrained eye it may look like a standard MK VI Golf, but VW engineers have tinkered with the styling ever so slightly, and lowered the suspension so that there’s less drag. The end result is an astounding 74mpg (combined), which unlike the Toyota doesn’t depend on a hybrid engine, which means that if what VW say is true, you could be getting that mileage indefinitely and not just in bursts. It gets better still when you look at the emissions: Volkswagen say that the Bluemotion Golf only produces 99 g/km of CO2, which for a diesel is remarkable. So for £2000 less than the Prius you’re getting a car almost as green, which in the long run might even save you petrol. Also because the car’s emissions are so low, you get out of paying road tax, to boot. In fact, for a mere £800 more than the standard 1.6TDI engine, after tax and petrol saved, you’re probably saving a good deal more money. Plus, VW will throw in a nice set of alloys for good measure.

Don’t worry, the silly graphics aren’t on the version you might buy.

Assuming the reason you’re wanting to go green is really for the sake of the planet, though even this approach isn’t ideal. After all, saving petrol is all well and good, but it’s the carbon dioxide produced by the cars which are killing the planet. Even with the Prius and the Bluemotion’s excellent emissions ratings, they still produce CO2. The only ‘real’ way you can get around this at the moment is to get an electric car, after all, the idea of never having to go to a petrol station again is certainly an appealing prospect. The cars themselves produce no carbon emissions and you end up paying very little per mile driven. More importantly still, to have an electric car, you don’t have to settle for anything as Spartan and underpowered as a Gee-Whiz anymore: the current generation of EVs are far more appealing, with cars like the Nissan Leaf being praised for build quality and performance, or the Tesla Roadster for those who want something a little sportier. EVs are by no means without their faults though; the first thing you’ll notice is the cost, which in the case of the Leaf is £30,000, however it does fall under the government grant which means you’ll be getting £5,000 of that back. And while no one can deny that the Leaf is a good little car, especially as a city run-around, £25,000 for a four seater Nissan hatchback is just that bit too pricey. The problems don’t end there, either. According to Nissan you should get about 105 miles on a full charge, which is fine if you’re using the Nissan as a run-around, but for longer journeys this could be a problem. Yes, there are electrical charging points slowly popping up around the country, but there are still areas left in the dark. Cornwall for example only has four charge points, of varying charge speeds. For a fast charge it can take three to four hours to a fully charge the battery, while slow chargers take six to eight.

Paul Clarke, founder and editor of the website www.Green-Car-Guide.com, a website which extensively looks at the culture of green cars offers the following advice:

“There is no better way to drive around cities such as London than in one of the latest electric cars such as the Nissan LEAF; apart from emitting no CO2, they are a dream to drive in urban areas as they have lots of smooth, instant torque, no gears, no clutch, they’re virtually silent, and there’s no need to visit garages. However they have a limited range and you need to recharge them – which means that in most cases you need an off-road parking area close enough to your house (or office) for the cable to reach a plug or charging point. So £25,000+ is a lot for an urban runaround that, due to its range limitations, won’t do many miles, and this is reflected in the sales figures for 2011, when only around 1000 electric cars were bought in the UK.

Extended-range electric cars such as the Vauxhall Ampera make a lot more sense for most people, as they get rid of the range anxiety – but they are even more expensive – the Ampera starts at £30,000 after the government grant.

Then there’s petrol hybrids, which are more efficient than petrol cars, but more expensive. Now there are diesel hybrids such as the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4, which are even more efficient (74mpg for a crossover), but again, expensive – from £27,000 in this case.”

The Ampera (based on the Chevrolet Volt) isn’t at all a bad looking car, either.

Of course the best way to keep your emissions down and to save on petrol is to adopt a smooth driving style. Even in my 10 year old Fiat Punto (with the slightly faster 1.2 16 valve engine) it doesn’t take any real effort to achieve 45mpg. All the classic fuel saving tips are true: change up and down gears in blocks (i.e. third gear to fifth, ignoring fourth and vice versa), making sure the tyre pressures are correct, braking well in advance and accelerating gradually- all of these will save money (and to a degree, the planet) in the long run. There’s another green incentive to stick with your current car for the simple reason that that it’s already been built. It’s all well and good discussing the merits of these cars touted as being the newest green inventions, but it doesn’t alter the fact they’re made in factories, the same as any other car and while the fumes that come from cars are in themselves a massive problem, the number of cars produced every year is steadily increasing and accounts for a huge amount of pollution caused the world over. In theory this is a bigger problem still for the green cars that rely on batteries, because of the lithium-ion batteries, which are generally a bit of an environmental hazard if not treated properly. Both Toyota and Honda claim that their Li-ion batteries are 100% recyclable, which means that when the time comes to replace them, though when it comes to replace them that may be of little consolation, unless the price to replace them goes down.

Really there is no one solution that fits all. If you live out in the countryside and need to make long commutes then obviously, an electric car isn’t for you. For those that don’t want to spend too much money, hybrids and extended range vehicles are a bit too cost prohibitive. Needs and solutions vary depending on whether the car is for personal use or as part of a fleet. Paul Clarke’s conclusion seems the best: “For the average person who regularly drives outside city limits, an efficient diesel is still probably the most practical, efficient and green car (efficient on motorways etc, no range limitations, no large price premium). The good news is that today, whatever type of car you want, there are class-leading efficient models.” Everyone can do their bit either with their current car, or by getting something a bit sensible when it comes to replacing it.

 

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